| 1953 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date | April 24, 1953 |
| Location | Boston,Massachusetts |
| Network | NBC |
| Overview | |
| 122 total selections in19 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| Teams | 9 |
| Territorial picks | Ernie Beck,Philadelphia Warriors Walter Dukes,New York Knicks Larry Hennessy,Philadelphia Warriors[1] |
| First selection | Ray Felix,Baltimore Bullets |
| Hall of Famers | |
The1953 NBA draft was the seventh annualdraft of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 24, 1953, before the1953–54 season. In thisdraft, nine remaining NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S.college basketball players. In each round, the teams select in reverse order of their win–loss record in theprevious season. The draft consisted of 19 rounds comprising 122 players selected.
Ray Felix fromLong Island University was selectedfirst overall by theBaltimore Bullets and went on to win theRookie of the Year Award in his first season.[2]Ernie Beck andWalter Dukes were selected before the draft asPhiladelphia Warriors' andNew York Knicks'territorial picks respectively. Three players from this draft,Bob Houbregs,Frank Ramsey andCliff Hagan, have been inducted to theBasketball Hall of Fame.[3]
| Pos. | G | F | C |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center |
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for at least oneAll-Star Game andAll-NBA Team |
| + | Denotes player who has been selected for at least oneAll-Star Game |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular-season or playoff game |
The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.[5][6]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 16 | Norm Grekin | F |  United States | Philadelphia Warriors | La Salle |
| 3 | 17 | Bob Peterson | F | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Oregon |
| 3 | 18 | Irv Bemoras | G/F | United States | Milwaukee Hawks | Illinois |
| 3 | 20 | Frank Reddout | F | United States | Rochester Royals | Syracuse |
| 3 | 21 | Cliff Hagan^ | G/F | United States | Boston Celtics | Kentucky |
| 3 | 22 | Billy Kenville | G/F | United States | Syracuse Nationals | St. Bonaventure |
| 5 | 35 | Paul Nolen | C | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Texas Tech |
| 5 | 36 | Gene Dyker | F | United States | Milwaukee Hawks | DePaul |
| 5 | 41 | Bob Santini | F | United States | New York Knicks | Iona |
| 6 | 50 | Richard Atha | G | United States | New York Knicks | Indiana State |
| 7 | 58 | Lou Tsioropoulos | F | United States | Boston Celtics | Kentucky |
| 8 | 63 | Connie Rea | G/F | United States | Baltimore Bullets | Centenary |
| 9 | 77 | Joe Smyth | F | United States | New York Knicks | Niagara |
| 11 | 89 | Bill Bolger | F | United States | Milwaukee Hawks | Georgetown |
| 13 | 102 | Jack George* | G | United States | Philadelphia Warriors | La Salle |
| 14 | 108 | Ken Sears+ | F | United States | Rochester Royals | Santa Clara |
These players were not selected in the 1953 draft but played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Johnson | F |  United States | Portland |
| Jim Mooney | F | United States | Villanova |
| Hal Uplinger | G | United States | LIU Brooklyn |
